"John Banks is one of the UK's most prolific audiobook narrators, working for the likes of Big Finish, Audible, Random House and Games Workshop.

He is a true multi-voice, creating everything from monsters to marauding aliens.

He is also an accomplished stage and TV actor."

audible.co.uk 2018

Hello...

...I'm John Banks - welcome to my website.

The majority of my working life has been spent in the theatre with companies including
York Theatre Royal, Cheltenham Everyman, Sheffield Crucible, Bristol Old Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange and the National Theatre in London.

Television work includes Emmerdale, Coronation Street, and 'Allo, Allo!'. I have also worked on a number of radio drama and comedy productions with the BBC.

Since March 2009, I have enjoyed playing a huge variety of characters in more than 270* audio-drama stories with Big Finish Productions, together with The Black Library/Games Workshop, details of which can be found in the postings below.


There are also details listed here of the 214* audio books & stories I've recorded since March 2013,
including the unabridged New Revised Standard Version of The Bible, for companies including audible.co.uk, Hachette, Audible Studios, Podium Audio Publishing, HarperCollins, RNIB, W.F. Howes, Little Brown Group, Penguin Random House, Games Workshop, Orion, Fantom Films & Ladbroke Audio.

(*figures at April 2021)

I hope you find something of interest here and come back soon for further updates.


For all posts, reviews and audio samples, please scroll down...

The Runewar Saga: Book 2

The Runewar Saga: Book 2
The Crown of Fire & Fury

The Botanist

The Botanist
Washington Poe Series: Book 5

Skaven Deathmaster

The Babel Books

The Babel Books
The Fall of Babel - click image above for link to audible

Doctor Who: Back To Earth

Throne of Light: Dawn of Fire Book 4

Throne of Light: Dawn of Fire Book 4
Release Date: 13th November 2021

Soul Wars

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Friday 25 January 2019

The Hod King

Hello and welcome! A short yet, hopefully, perfectly formed posting for this chilly Friday evening.

The Hod King, by Josiah Bancroft, was released on January 22nd in all formats. This is the third of Josiah's 'Books of Babel' series, which has had such an incredible reception since the first self-published volume, Senlin Ascends, became available and which was ultimately taken up and re-published by the Little,Brown Book Group.

Reviews for all three books have been remarkable, including this one, which appeared in my Twitter feed a few days ago:

“‘Books of Babel’ are something you hope to see perhaps once a decade - future classics, which may be remembered long after the series concludes. Only a few days into 2019, I think we’ve already found a contender for fantasy book of the year.”
                                                                                 
                                                                                     Ant Jones (the LA Times)

Here are some details:

The third novel in the highly acclaimed Books of Babel series, set in a labyrinthine world of menace and wonder. 



On the orders of the mysterious Sphinx, Thomas Senlin and his crew are dragged ever further into the Tower's conspiracies.

Meanwhile, the hods climb the Black Trail in darkness and whisper of their king.




"One of my favourite books of all time." (Mark Lawrence, author of Prince of Thorns)
"These books are absolutely incredible." (The Quill to Live)
"An engrossing, intoxicating delight." (Forbidden Planet)



 Written by Josiah Bancroft, Produced by Neil Gardner & Narrated by John Banks
 

Audio book length: 20 hours - 16 minutes


©2019 Josiah Bancroft (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK


By the way, an audio sample of The Hod King appears above in this blog.
 
* * * * * 

A short selection of Audible.co.uk reviews:

Senlin Ascends


"imaginative and exciting" 

beautifully written, fantastic narration.
                                                            Joe Arnold 23.3.18

"Outstanding audiobook" 

Absolutely loved this book! It is well deserving of the praise it receives, and the narration brought it to exceptional levels. Wonderful pacing and voices and so often I forgot I was listening to a book - everything played out in my mind like a film. 

                           Lauren 1.2.18 


Arm of The Sphinx

 


"Read this book!" 

 Loved every second of it and the Narrator is phenomenal! 

                      Richard Woodrow 29.3.18 





 * * * * *


January has been a very busy month so far: I completed the second of this month's audio books earlier this afternoon and I'm looking forward to recording a couple of audio dramas next week.

February is now also looking busy, with some very interesting stuff coming in the pipeline. But more of that later, because that's...

...all for now; more just as soon as it happens!


Saturday 19 January 2019

The Gutter Prayer

Good afternoon and thanks once again for stopping by!



After a hugely enjoyable week of recording the first audio book of the new year, my task for the coming few days, is to continue preparation for the second book of 2019, which is scheduled to be recorded from the middle of next week. These first two books are, respectively, parts 2 & 3 of different series and, as mentioned previously, it's paticularly tricky to remember and re-create character voices last used many months ago and indeed, several thousand other voices ago!

In saying that, I'm now wondering just how many character voices I actually had to come up with in last year's recordings; at a very rough guess, I think it must be somewhere between two and three thousand. The character count for the soon to be released House of Niccolo books alone, came close to fifteen hundred...

But more on that in a couple of month's time. For today, here are some details of my narrated audio edition of Gareth Hanrahan's debut novel, The Gutter Prayer, which I had great fun recording with producer Neil Gardner.


"In the ancient city of Guerdon, three thieves - an orphan, a ghoul and a cursed man - are accused of a crime they didn't commit. Their quest for revenge exposes a perilous conspiracy, the seeds of which were sown long before they were born.


A centuries-old magical war is on the verge of reigniting, and in the tunnels deep below the city, a malevolent power stirs. Only by standing together can the three friends prevent a conflict that would bring total devastation to their city - and the world beyond."

 Produced by Neil Gardner & Narrated by John Banks


Running Time: 16 hours - 57 minutes


©2018 Gareth Hanrahan (P)2018 Hachette Audio UK


There's a short clip taken from the audio book posted above on this web site, should you wish to hear it. 

* * * * *

I feel fortunate to have some enjoyable and interesting projects coming up over the next several weeks; I'm looking forward to working on them and indeed, to telling you all about them at the earliest opportunity.
In the meantime, that's...

...all for now; more just as soon as it happens!
 

Saturday 12 January 2019

The Horus Heresy: Nightfane

Good afternoon and all good wishes for a Happy New Year!

The hugely demanding pace of recording last year, calmed as December progressed. Purely for my own interest, I really ought to make an accurate tally of how much I recorded in 2018; off the top of my head, I think it was something like 23 audiobooks, 42 short stories and 22 audio dramas, though I'll have to check.

Having had some free time over the holidays, January began with preparation for two quite challenging audiobooks, the first of which is scheduled to be recorded next week. My extended vocal warm up has been underway for several days, as I don't fancy the idea of performing a couple of hundred extreme creature character voices without 'tuning up' first!

In the meantime, the first Black Library release of mine for 2019 will be available to download from 19th January and here are some details:

The Horus Heresy: Nightfane

A Horus Heresy audio drama

Arriving at a seemingly abandoned underwater rigging station on the moon of Bael, Aeonid Thiel and the Red-Marked discover a plot to devastate the 500 Worlds… Can they stop it in time?


After the war to save Ultramar from the traitor hosts of Horus ended, formerly disgraced Ultramarines Sergeant Aenoid Thiel believes that enemies still linger within the borders of the empire. Finding other men of purpose, fellow Space Marines known as the ‘Red-Marked’, Thiel wages a guerrilla war to root out these enemies and vanquish them for good.

Following the threads of a previous mission, the Red-Marked arrive on the moon of Bael. There they find an underwater rigging station that has seemingly been abandoned. But this place and its secrets could hold the key to the so-called ‘Nightfane’, a mysterious plot intended to bring about the destruction of Ultramar and only Thiel and his men can stop it.




Annie Aldington, Tom Alexander, Gareth Armstrong, John Banks, Steve Conlin, Andrew Fettes, Matthew Hunt,
Jonathan Keeble, Gesella Ohaka & Richard Reed

Written by Nick Kyme & Produced by Matt Renshaw

Running time: 1 hour and 13 minutes

* * * * *

And that's about it for the first posting of 2019. There's lots of varied and hopefully interesting stuff in the pipeline and I hope you'll stop by the web site again soon.


...all for now; more just as soon as it happens! 

Dalek Universe 2

Kragnos Broken Realms

Age of Sigmar Dominion

The Moggotkin of Nurgle

Kragnos Broken Realms

Dawn of Fire Book 1: Avenging Son

The Lore of Direchasm

Direchasm

A C'tan Shard Rises 3

Indomitus: Necrons 2

A Lord Among the Stars 1

Angels of Death Preview

Ultramarines

Psychic Awakening

Warcry: Death or Glory

Warhammer 40,000

Flight. Redefined.

Reviews & comments:

The Malazan Empire

Over the course of this 8 book series, the amazing John Banks has had to create and voice 648 distinct characters!

Neil Gardner - producer

The Door In The Wall & War of The Worlds

Not often I buy another version of an audiobook I own, but after hearing John Banks' narration of The Door in the Wall by Ladbroke Audio, I had to buy their version of The War of the Worlds. Banks has a great reading voice.

Andy Frankham-Allen - writer

The Books of Babel: Senlin Ascends, Arm of The Sphinx & The Hod King

Mr. Banks does superb work, and I recommend the audiobooks wholeheartedly!

Josiah Bancroft - writer

Mervyn Stone: The Axeman Cometh

John Banks is a voice genius...

Nev Fountain - writer

Mervyn Stone... played by the note-perfect John Banks.

Matt Hills - Reviews in Time and Space

Dr. Who: The Sleeping City

I also must draw attention to John Banks who is an exceptional voice artist and in this one story performs more characters that I can count. ... it is listening to episodes like this one that really do let his talents shine through.

Tony Jones - Red Rocket Rising

Highlander:

...playing several parts, was the brilliant Big Finish regular John Banks - it was as if there were about 40 different actors in the other booth.

James Moran - writer

I went for the best of the best and brought in voice artiste extraordinaire John Banks.

Paul Spragg - producer

Vienna:

...also features the mind - bogglingly versatile and reliable John Banks

Jonathan Morris - writer

Dead Funny:

The acting is first rate… wonderfully played by John Banks as Richard – his impersonation of Eric Morecambe is worth the admission money alone.

Beverly Greenberg: Bolton Evening News

Mr. Happiness:

This early and unfamiliar play by David Mamet is a character study of a 1930s radio counsellor, dispensing suave advice to his devoted listeners. John Banks brings out the wry comedy of this – comedy quite unappreciated by the character – with a clever range of gesture and vocal tone.

Jeremy Kingston: The Times


All My Sons:

This is a beautifully crafted piece ...and it affords a wonderful opportunity for John Readman* to do his All-American Boy act as Chris Keller. This most polished and well observed performance as the blighted son of a blighted father must rank as one of his finest accomplishments yet. ( * see Profile)

The Stage

The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes

Kudos should also go to John Banks. Lestrade can be a thankless part, but Banks rose to the challenge, playing a pivotal role in this decades long arc.

Raissa Devereux - SciFiPulse

The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes

John Banks is multi-tasking, both as the superb Lestrade and also the villainous and no doubt moustache twirling Sebastian Moran. They sound completely different and I bow to his talent.

Sue Davies - SFcrowsnest


Further reviews and comments are included with specific postings throughout the site.

The War Doctor

The War Doctor
December 2015